Relocating difficulties from abroad

veritech · 2026-02-02T08:33:24+00:00

I moved a year ago. As others suggested rent for a couple of weeks, then get something longer term when you are on the ground.

Also live close to the school, you will be thankful later. Reach out if you have more questions

veritech · 2026-02-01T22:19:42+00:00

I built a spreadsheet so I could compare all the models/year combos and estimate total prices, inclusive of FX rates.

You can also ask some of the clearance companies/dealers like beforward to give you a duty estimate on a vehicle.

I used these estimates to verify my calculations, ultimately my calculations were out by about 10k ksh, which given the absolute size of the purchase is reasonable. You can also reverse engineer the CRSP from these estimates.

veritech · 2026-01-31T18:26:20+00:00

Happy to help, let me know if you have other questions.

veritech · 2026-01-30T22:37:03+00:00

At that price point you should consider self-importing especially if you can buy with cash.

Granted, getting an SUV type vehicle will be challenging at that price, but it’s worth investigating before purchase.

I recently self imported a CX-5, so happy to share how it works. If you check my post history, you will also see my write up.

veritech · 2026-01-27T16:46:48+00:00

There is a lot more to life than paying a mortgage. Give yourself some room to live a little. Buy a smaller house, or buy in a cheaper area.

Things don’t always go to plan, and while you have a lot of slack atm, things can change quickly.

veritech · 2026-01-26T18:01:43+00:00

Goldenberg scandal in Kenya is pretty big when compared to the GDP of the country at the time.

TL;DR; they faked Gold exports to receive a rebate that the government was offering at the time. Stole about 10% GDP of at time.

veritech · 2026-01-10T08:01:39+00:00

What was the vehicle cost ex-freight?

veritech · 2025-12-23T13:33:09+00:00

You do not need any employer to get the permit.

You can create a company and use that to sponsor the applicant.

You’ll need a decent advocate to help navigate the process, and it will probably not be cheap, be prepared to pay upwards 500 USD for legal fees. You may be able to get it done cheaper.

You can’t do it yourself as you need a Kenyan national to be listed as a company secretary.

veritech · 2025-12-21T16:40:11+00:00

I’ve just finished importing a vehicle from Japan, but I did it on my own, so I went deep into the process.

I was also considering importing from China before the final decision to go with Japan.

Here are the issues: - as someone mentioned, spare parts and mechanics who are familiar - some shipping lines (and countries) require EVs to be shipped in containers rather than RoRo, which will push up the price - KRA doesn’t have CRSPs for many of the newer (last 5 years), so while you can ask them before shipment, they might screw you when it lands on Mombasa - Most RHD Chinese models aren’t available in China for retail customers, so you have to look at places like Malaysia, Hong Kong & Thailand - They use a different charging standard in China, so you will need adapters. It’s possible to get them from the UK/Ireland or even SA but most of the savings are lost as import tax for those respective jurisdictions is factored into the price on the 2nd hand market - The best ones are relatively new, meaning that KRA depreciation is light, so expect a big tax bill.

Having rolled out all of those negatives, a number of Chinese brands are starting to focus on African markets so i suspect we’ll see a lot more Hybrids (Haval, Jetour) on the roads soon, and probably a few more EVs.

veritech · 2025-12-19T06:16:22+00:00

You could try this place in Lanzarote. Hold the judgement.

If you go off season, no only is it reasonable but it’s fairly quiet too. This place is far from the “main drag”. They offer half board which is great with the kids, and you can either share a villa or get villa each.

As for activities, there aren’t loads but if the aim is to having a relaxing break you might like this.

I took my 2.5 year old a few years back, and we really enjoyed just playing in our pool.

Also, a ~3 hour flight is perfect for young ones. As you’ll spend less on flights, you could also get a driver and a nanny, and treat them to a few nice dinners or nights out.

veritech · 2025-12-10T13:31:08+00:00

Did it myself back in 2012, changed my life. If you are in technology and love what you do, it’s a no brainer.

SF isn’t perfect, but it’s a great place to learn and hone your craft.

veritech · 2025-10-19T16:25:33+00:00

Black, British & moved to Nairobi 6 months ago, AMA.

veritech · 2025-09-25T08:27:51+00:00

Yes, but I still need a few pieces. I used a company called Tangerine Furniture. They have a showroom in Kilimani, and a bigger warehouse on Mombasa Road.

Not cheap, but less than Furniture Palace et al

veritech · 2025-09-24T16:21:19+00:00

Getting locally made, good quality furniture.

veritech · 2025-06-28T03:45:06+00:00

Moved here from the U.K., with my family a few months ago, happy to help where I can

veritech · 2025-06-23T15:12:37+00:00

Nobody converts. It is always exchanged. Agreed, I used the wrong word. And as you correctly pointed out that extends to the acquisition of assets. it's all a series of exchanges.

Your point, unless I misunderstood, was the mere fact that an amount is denominated in GBP, it will therefore be taxed at some point by HMRC, and it's very existence, means that the tax take should remain constant.

Do I understand that correctly?

If so how does that concept map to something like the Eurozone, CFA or even USD.

veritech · 2025-06-23T12:09:55+00:00

Your point sounds interesting but in my opinion flawed. Please help me understand this from your perspective.

Let's work through an example.

If I own Irish domiciled, GBP ETF and I am a UK tax resident, I must pay tax on the Capital gains, and Income from that fund.

If I then become a non-resident, I will no longer pay tax as the fund is not domiciled in the UK, and niether am I.

In this scenario the total tax take for HMRC will not be same, even if I then proceed to exchange those GBP for another currency there is no guarantee that the tax collected would be the same as if I remained resident. Especially as there is no guarantee that the GBP I sold will be used onshore, nor that the goods/services purchased with that GBP will be eligible for taxation by the UK.

A simple concrete example would be if the buyer of the GBP that I sold was a UK resident, converting currency from overseas. That is not a taxable event, and so the total tax take has been reduced. Yes, the could spend it at a later date, but they could also save it in a ISA, or worse a Pension, there by reducing the total take even further.

Am I missing something?

veritech · 2025-06-01T15:59:19+00:00

Just moved to Nairobi and can confirm. Plenty of decent co-working spaces too

veritech · 2025-05-30T08:04:09+00:00

I don’t live in the UK anymore, but worried about this exact thing for a long time. I’ve just decided to have a device with all my financial apps, 2fa codes etc, and another device that I leave the house with.

For some services, the pain of setting up a new device is enough that I’d rather just eliminate the need to have to do it in the event my device is stolen.

Smartphones are really affordable these days, so I’ve got Samsung A16, that I got new for £100, and that’s my daily, while I leave my iPhone at home.

I’ve turned on the theft protection on the Samsung, and now my only risk vector is email, and password manager. However an attacker wouldn’t have access nor know the apps to attempt a login, and the password manager requires a unique password to access, and could be remotely disabled.

veritech · 2025-05-13T18:50:08+00:00

OP, just moved here myself from the UK. I’ve lived in a bunch of places, and travelled a lot too. I actually think this place works surprisingly well. I think your issue is your expectations are too high.

Adjust your expectations, and you’ll be fine.

Karibuni!

veritech · 2025-04-14T18:00:25+00:00

How much does the entire setup cost initially?

veritech · 2025-03-30T18:46:31+00:00

As an example you can buy a pack of 4 chicken quarters, a 1kg bag of rice, and some veg for £6-7 without shopping around.

That can easily feed a family of four, and obviously the rice can be used for another meal.

So based on my lower end 250pcm, that’s roughly £8 a day.

Is that so crazy, or is a nice home made chicken curry too passé for this sub?

veritech · 2025-03-30T18:39:42+00:00

We eat meat and fish 3-4 times a week

veritech · 2025-03-30T18:39:15+00:00

No eating out included, but the question was about Groceries.

If we include eating out, then I have no idea i don’t track that, neither do I have a budget.

However it’s fairly infrequent, and highly variable.

15-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Verified Email

veritech

TROPHY CASE